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The academic culture of "we teach you to think not how to work" only makes sense for a world where the majority of people entering university are from wealthy,

The academic culture of "we teach you to think not how to work" only makes sense for a world where the majority of people entering university are from wealthy, elite families such that the economic impact of attending college is negligible, and just an accepted tax to confirm social status. This was true for almost the entire history of college until after WW2. At those points in history the degree was worth it because it was a signal of your social standing. You would walk into the office as the boss simply because you had a degree. Today college is not elite. The vast majority of US high school students now go to college. 70% of those students take out loans to afford education. Because it is no longer elite "teaching you how to think" is no longer a great value proposition. Not to mention that most of the new grads I've met have failed to learn "how to think" as well as having no practical skills.

jltsiren 5y ago
Academic education is not about what the university chooses to teach but about what the student chooses to learn. If you finish the degree by completing only the minimal requirements, that's your failure as a student. Many people need more guidance in their studies, because their motivation to learn for the sake of learning is not strong enough. For such people, many countries offer a parallel track of vocational higher education.
cm2012 5y ago
Also research shows that "colleges you've been accepted to but didn't go to" correlates the same to future income as "colleges you went to". I'd say 80% of the signal value of college is the initial sorting vs the education.
- ryandrake 5y ago
  Aren't there even earlier sorting events that have predictive value of what colleges you might be accepted to? I thought I read somewhere that "father's income" is the single best predictive signal of the entire chain of events that leads to one's prosperity and career success. If true, even college admission doesn't signal much in and of itself.
adamsmith143 5y ago
>The vast majority of US high school students now go to college. I think the number is something around 60%. Not sure that would qualify as Vast Majority.

jltsiren 5y ago

Academic education is not about what the university chooses to teach but about what the student chooses to learn. If you finish the degree by completing only the minimal requirements, that's your failure as a student. Many people need more guidance in their studies, because their motivation to learn for the sake of learning is not strong enough. For such people, many countries offer a parallel track of vocational higher education.

cm2012 5y ago

Also research shows that "colleges you've been accepted to but didn't go to" correlates the same to future income as "colleges you went to". I'd say 80% of the signal value of college is the initial sorting vs the education.

ryandrake 5y ago
Aren't there even earlier sorting events that have predictive value of what colleges you might be accepted to? I thought I read somewhere that "father's income" is the single best predictive signal of the entire chain of events that leads to one's prosperity and career success. If true, even college admission doesn't signal much in and of itself.

adamsmith143 5y ago

>The vast majority of US high school students now go to college. I think the number is something around 60%. Not sure that would qualify as Vast Majority.